


sweeter than sweet

by jaemarked



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Awkward Flirting, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Small Towns, candy shop owner mark, tattoo artist jaemin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:14:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28355268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaemarked/pseuds/jaemarked
Summary: “Well, the good thing is that you’ve picked a good spot, so it’s not as painful. When I got my first tattoo, I was so scared, but it didn’t actually hurt as much as I thought it would. Although it helps to have someone hold your hand.”“Will you, then?” Mark asks, and Jaemin blinks at him in confusion.“Will I what?”“Will you hold my hand?”
Relationships: Mark Lee/Na Jaemin
Comments: 3
Kudos: 103
Collections: Twelve Days of ChristMark





	sweeter than sweet

**Author's Note:**

> this is kinda late sorry TT i was playing cyber hunter and totally forgot to post this
> 
> anyway here's 2/12 of christmark, i hope you enjoy!

The summer is brightly coloured with oranges and pinks. In a tourist town such as this, everything is vibrant and bursting with life. In the winter, the streets will revert back to their solemn quiet, colour draining out of the town as it becomes a ghost. But right now, in the summer, the town is alive and thriving. The streets are filled with happy families; children playing in the summer sun while parents browse the stalls of street vendors. Dogs bound freely with joy past the large fountain in the center of town square, relieving themselves of the heat and shaking water at the little children who are brave enough to approach them. The air smells faintly of cotton candy and barbecue as music and laughter fills the streets. It’s picturesque, is what it is. Something out of a fairy tale.

Just a couple blocks from town square, the door of a tattoo parlour swings open as two boys walk out, laughing and shoving each other playfully. The parlour seems unlikely to be one for tattoos and piercings; the exterior painted with a pastel blue and the windows above covered with lace curtains. But the designs that hung in the window were unmistakably those of tattoos, beautifully hand-drawn in varying shades of watercolours and inks. Said boys pause to admire the new set of designs recently put up in the glass, just barely blocking the view of the receptionist’s desk and one of the piercing stations.

“They look really nice, Jaemin, you worked hard!” The shorter of the two says, a beautiful grin gracing his features as they always did when he smiled at his best friend. He reaches up to ruffle Jaemin’s light brown and pink hair, despite the younger’s protests.

“Thank you, Renjun,” the other replies with a sweet smile of his own, messing up Renjun’s hair in retaliation and giggling when Renjun scowls at him, batting his hands away.

“Hey, have some respect, I’m still older than you,” Renjun says, a jokingly angry hint to his tone. He can’t seem to stop his lips from twitching up into a smile even as he chastises Jaemin.

“Barely! And you’re so much shorter!” Jaemin teases happily, stumbling over his shoes when Renjun shoves him away. 

“You’re such a brat,” Renjun replies, rolling his eyes. “Where did you want to get lunch anyway? We only have forty minutes left of our lunch break so we might as well make use of it.”

“I wanna see Kun,” Jaemin says cutely, tugging on Renjun’s sleeve because he knows that, despite his attempts, Renjun can never say no to him. And indeed, Renjun sighs but indulges him as they cross the street to Kun’s bakery, aptly named _Holy Cannoli_. Apparently, cannoli was the first foreign pastry Kun learned to make. Jaemin wasn’t sure of the origin, but he knew that it tasted good, especially when Kun made it.

“Kun!” He greets loudly as soon as he bursts through the door, causing heads to turn in his and Renjun’s direction. Renjun elbows him in the side, but Kun lights up when he catches sight of the two of them and immediately rounds the counter to hug them both. 

“Jaemin! Renjun!” Kun says delightedly as he pulls back. “Are you here for lunch? Come on, sit down, you’ve gotten so skinny.”

“You saw us last week,” Jaemin pointed out, though he allows himself to be ushered to a table and seated. He couldn’t deny that he really did enjoy being fussed upon by one of his oldest friends who, though he’s busy, always makes time for Jaemin and Renjun. Really, it was Kun who had helped him break free of his insecurities, who made Jaemin confident when it came to being himself. Kun had been so strong and beautiful when Jaemin first met him, and now he was one of Jaemin’s most favourite people in the world.

“You're always too skinny,” Kun responds, waving a hand dismissively like that is that. That's the way it’s always been with Kun, twenty-six years old and exuding this aura that he was infinitely wiser than Jaemin. “Where's Taeyongie?”

“We’re on our lunch break,” Renjun explains. “So Taeyong’s not with us right now. He doesn't actually work at the parlour.”

“That doesn't mean a thing,” Kun sniffs haughtily. “He spends most of his days there, enough that he could cross the street and visit _me_ once in a while.”

“Actually Kun,” Jaemin begins, leaning forward in his seat. “We haven't seen Tae around the parlour lately, not even to buy a new earring.” 

Kun offers a wry smile as Jaemin speaks, knowing all too well just how extensive Taeyong’s earring collection is. The boy has an obsession with the piercings, and refuses to buy earrings from any other store. 

“Now that you mention it, it is rather strange,” Renjun says, eyebrows knitted together. “Usually, Taeyong is always around, and it feels weird without him.”

There’s a slight moment of silence before it’s broken by a man in an apron who wanders over carrying a platter of sandwiches and baked goods.

“Doyoung!” Kun exclaims, his eyes sparkling. “I didn't even see you come in. Did you steal that tray from Jeno?”

“Well, when I heard that two very important friends were visiting, I just had to come and say hello.” With that he turned to Renjun and Jaemin. “Hi, my name’s Kim Doyoung! It's nice to meet you.”

“I'm Renjun, it's nice to meet you too,” Renjun says sweetly. They all turn to Jaemin, who shrinks in his seat at the attention, 171 cm folding into a ball, a blush rising to his cheeks. Renjun almost lets out a sigh, except the Jaemin’s close proximity would guarantee he would hear it. Jaemin never really got over his initial shyness, always intimidated by those older than him. Renjun isn’t really sure where the insecurity stems from, but he wants nothing more than for Jaemin to feel comfortable in his own skin, so he never pushes the younger into doing anything he doesn’t want to do.

“Jaemin,” Jaemin mumbles, coming off rude enough that Kun pinches his leg underneath the table. Doyoung doesn’t seem deterred, though, setting the tray down and distributing the food cheerfully. He disappears with a wink, and is forgotten about, though Jaemin doesn’t miss the way Renjun stares as he flutters around the room, attending to the customers.

“Ah, he’s such a good worker,” Kun coos, picking up a tiny cupcake and peeling off the wrapper delicately. “Oh, Jaemin-ah, did you do this yourself?” He motions to the little gems next to Jaemin’s eye, slightly hidden by his dyed fringe. They sit in a swirled pattern going up to his temple, and glitter in the sunlight. Jaemin unfurls his body in order to preen at Kun’s attention, pushing his bangs off his forehead in order to show off the design. 

“Yeah, I did it this morning,” Jaemin replies pleasantly, reaching up to gently touch one of the gems. “I’m surprised they managed to stay on my face, if I’m honest.”

“They match your sweater,” Kun says, pointing to Jaemin’s pink cable knit sweater. “Very cute. What kind of glue did you use?”

“Ah, I used lash glue,” Jaemin answers, reaching for one of the smaller sandwiches to nibble on. “It’s gonna be sort of painful taking it off, but I like the way it looks, so it’s worth it.”

“That’s good, Jaemin,” Kun praises warmly. Jaemin feels his heart swell and he pretends to examine the tabletop in order to hide the wide grin on his face. Renjun launches into a story about one of his customers and Kun’s attention is occupied, so Jaemin is free to stare out the window as he chews. A flash of movement in the window of the shop next to the parlour catches his eye, and he focuses completely on the small store. The candy store had been there for a while, having opened almost a year after Jaemin began his apprenticeship at the parlour.

For a moment, he wonders what had caught his eye, until he sees someone step back into the view of the window, holding a spray bottle in one hand and a blue cloth in the other. The man was hard to see, but Jaemin could make out the sleek black leather of his jacket and messy blonde hair. The sunlight makes his golden skin stand out and to Jaemin, he appears to glow, looking soft and ethereal. 

“Jaeminnie, what are you looking at?” He hears Renjun say, snapping him out of his trance and he glances away from the window to catch an amused grin tugging at his friend’s lips. 

“The candy shop,” Jaemin says, mostly truthful. Really, he was looking at the person _in_ the candy shop, but another quick look told Jaemin that the blonde man was gone. He must have finished cleaning the window.

“You know, I don't think I've ever been in there,” Renjun muses.

“I haven't either, but I send Jaehyun over to buy ingredients sometimes, he says there's a really wide variety of sweets,” Kun comments mildly. He looks out the window too, and he snickers, surprising Renjun and Jaemin both.

“Of course Taeyong would be the first to go out of all of us,” He laughs. Jaemin whips his head around and sure enough, Taeyong is just outside the sweets shop, reaching for the door. He’s dressed in overly baggy clothing as always, with holes cut down the sleeves of his shirt that Jaemin could see all the way across the street. He’d gotten his fashion sense from Baekhyun.

“He likes sweets a little too much,” Jaemin says, hiding his giggles behind his hand. Once he calms down, he reaches for one of the cookies Doyoung had left for them, biting down and enjoying the sweet vanilla that burst on his tongue. Kun’s cookies were his absolute _favourite._ He catches sight of the time on Renjun’s watch and swallows hastily. “Renjun, we have to go!”

“Fine _,_ you brat,” Renjun says as he stands up, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “Ah, thank you for the meal, Kun.”

“Thank you,” Jaemin echoes, bouncing on his toes impatiently as he waits for Renjun to gather his things. They try to offer Kun some money, but he refuses to accept it, waving them off as he stands up to clear the table. “Bye, love you!”

“Love you too, Jaeminnie,” Kun says softly, leaning over to press a kiss to Jaemin’s cheek, then Renjun’s. They squeal and squirm away like little children, dashing out of the bakery and across the street to the parlour, bursting in through the door and acting nonchalant when Minho glances at them skeptically.

“Where's the fire?” He comments from his work station where he's organizing his tools, wiping down the table with a cloth.

“We were almost late,” Jaemin admits sheepishly, flashing a bright smile he knows will get him out of any trouble.

“Actually, I really need to close the parlour for the rest of today.” Minho says, picking up his jacket from the back of his chair and scooping his bag from the floor.

“Is something wrong?” Renjun asks urgently, worrying at his lower lip. Jaemin’s eyes widen; he hadn't realized something could be wrong.

“There's something wrong?!” Jaemin urges, reaching frantically for Minho’s sleeve. 

“No, no, there's nothing wrong,” Minho says hurriedly, offering his dongsaengs a reassuring smile and patting Jaemin’s arm. The youngest lets go of his sleeve slowly, but he is still unconvinced. “My little brother just needs to be picked up at school, he got into a fight but my parents aren't home to get him.”

“Oh, okay,” Jaemin says, appeased. He steps back and sighs softly in relief, biting at his lip until Renjun tugs it out from between his teeth and chastises him. 

“You gotta stop doing that, kid,” Minho scolds. He shrugs on his jacket and hugs them both before disappearing out the door, the bell chiming as he goes. Jaemin stares after him a moment before shrugging, heading to the back room to grab the spare set of keys and his and Renjun’s stuff. When he comes back, Renjun has already finished sweeping up, so they both step outside, locking up and double-checking to make sure.

“I'm a little curious about that store,” Jaemin says, staring up at the sign. _**SUGAR RUSH**_ , it reads. “It’s been here for a while, and we’ve never gone inside.” 

“We never pass it,” Renjun shrugs. “We always come from that side.” He points down the opposite direction, leading towards town square. Jaemin shrugs and mumbles something incoherent, staring down at his shoes.

“I see Yong! Let's go inside,” Renjun exclaims, grabbing Jaemin’s arm and dragging him inside the candy store before he could protest. Jaemin stumbles over his own feet, tripping inside. He almost falls flat on his face, arms flailing as he tries to keep his balance. A loud groan emits from somewhere behind him and he whirls around, face burning. His breath catches in his throat when he sees the man from earlier standing behind the counter.

He’s a little bit shorter than Jaemin, but not by much. Jaemin can't see much of his face because he's covered it with one hand. But when he moves his hand away, Jaemin almost chokes on his own spit. 

The man is _pretty._ That's the only word Jaemin can think of to describe him at the moment. He’s got a round face, huge eyes, and a small button nose. With tan skin, prominent cheekbones and a sharp jawline, he looks a bit like a model. 

“First _him,_ ” the man says, pointing at Taeyong, who’s looking at the display of assorted fudge. “Now you two?” 

Jaemin frowns and he feels Renjun tense up behind him, probably ready to leap over the counter and punch the guy in his pretty face. Jaemin is about to snap something rude when Taeyong catches sight of them and shrieks.

“Jaeminnie! Renjunnie!” Taeyong exclaims, abandoning the fudge in favor of wrapping his gangly arms around his friends, squeezing them tightly before jumping back. “Don't mind Mark, he gets grumpy when attractive people come in the store.” 

“I swear to god everyone in this town looks like supermodels,” the boy — Mark — complains, slumping against the countertop. “You make me feel ugly.”

“Nonsense,” Taeyong says. “Renjun can't be a supermodel, he's too short.”

“Do you want to die?” Renjun growls threateningly, because while Renjun may be tiny, he's got a lot of strength and even more rage packed in said tiny body. Jaemin ignores them, instead examining the interior of the shop. There were packaged candies near the front on display stands, and in the aisles there were huge cases with enormous scoops to fill up plastic bags with the desired amount. 

Behind the counter, there was a row of shelves with even more candy, and Jaemin couldn't tear his eyes away from the giant swirly lollipops.

“So, Mark, how do you know Taeyong?” Renjun asks politely. Jaemin almost snorts; Renjun is just trying to make conversation. He doesn't actually care much, though his sweet, innocent looks can be deceiving. Everyone thinks Renjun is _so_ nice, and he can be, but most of the time he's just acting.

“He gave me free candy!” Taeyong chirps. “And some clementines, he thought I was homeless.”

Mark is peeling a clementine right now, quickly and carefully. He keeps his eyes on the fruit, but pink dusts the tops of his cheeks and he hides under his bangs.

“What, because he likes to wear clothes with holes?” Renjun snorts. Jaemin eyes him carefully. Renjun never liked it when people judged his friends, and has gotten into more than enough fights on Jaemin’s behalf.

“It's not that,” Mark says gruffly, but Taeyong is already leaping to his defence.

“It's because I'm always sitting outside the tattoo parlour!” Taeyong grins, chewing on sour tapes that he hasn't paid for. Mark looks up warily, but he doesn't say anything to Taeyong. Instead he sighs, punches in the code to open the cash register, and takes out his wallet. 

“You can only have one more item,” Mark tells him, counting out bills and shoving them in the register. “That's all I'm paying for today. And please, don't use your hands.” He pinches the bridge of his nose for a moment as Taeyong skips down one of the aisles. Renjun follows behind him, and Jaemin stands awkwardly to the side, unsure if he should stay put or join. “Did you want to buy anything?”

He startles, turning to Mark who’s watching him carefully, breaking off a segment of clementine. Jaemin flushes and stares dejectedly after Renjun and Taeyong before looking back at the cashier. 

“Um, do you have any suggestions?” Jaemin says, cringing as soon as the words came out of his mouth. He feels like such an idiot. Mark’s expression remains unchanged, though. He just shrugs and steps out from behind the counter. Jaemin’s mouth goes a little dry, and he licks his lips nervously. Fuck, Mark definitely had nothing to worry about when it came to looking good.

“Are you looking for something in particular? Baking ingredients? Or just something to snack on,” Mark says, guiding Jaemin down an aisle. His clementine has disappeared, and Jaemin wonders if he had just shoved the rest of it in his mouth

“Just something to snack on,” Jaemin replies quietly. “I like fruity flavours, but I also like anything with vanilla, strawberry, or cream.” 

“We have Strawberry Creme Lifesavers,” Mark says, pointing to candies that made Jaemin feel nostalgic. “Those are pretty good. Ah, here's butterscotch and vanilla toffee…and there’s Neapolitan ice cream candy.”

“Wow, these look so good!” Jaemin says, leaning over the case to examine the butterscotch-vanilla toffee. It was half a rich golden brown and half creamy vanilla. 

“Cup or bag?” Mark asks, and Jaemin blinks owlishly at him in confusion. “You can have the candies in cups; small, medium, and large. But if you're planning on buying a larger quantity then you take one of those bags, tie it up with one of these and fill out the tag with the name and ID number.” He motions to the plastic bag dispenser, then a container of bag tabs with blank paper labels attached. 

“Ah, I'll take a medium cup, then,” Jaemin says politely, bowing slightly. Mark disappears for a moment and returns carrying a plastic light blue cup with a lid and **SUGAR RUSH** printed on the front. The cup is around the size of Jaemin’s full hand, and the younger takes great pleasure in opening the case and dumping toffee into the cup using the scooper. He drops the scooper and shuts the lid of the case, struggling to snap the plastic lid on the cup.

“Here,” Mark says, tugging the cup out of Jaemin’s hands and closing it for him. “I'll ring you up?”

He turns on his heels without waiting for Jaemin’s reply, heading to the front and leaving the younger to trail behind like a puppy. Mark steps behind the counter to punch in the item code for the register, the screen flashing as he weighs Jaemin’s cup. 

“That'll be six dollars,” Mark deadpans, placing a yellow sticker that reads “paid” in bold blue on the side of the cup. Jaemin hands over a crumpled note and some change, watching as Mark presses the keys that open the register, the drawer sliding open with a _click._ Mark’s quick to sort out the cash before sliding the drawer closed, reaching for the receipt. “Would you like the receipt?”

“No, that's alright, thank you,” Jaemin replies absentmindedly, tilting his head to look for Taeyong and Renjun. Mark seems to read his mind, and informs him that there are tables at the back, likely where his friends had disappeared to. Jaemin thanks him and briskly walks down one of the aisles. Sure enough, Renjun and Taeyong are sprawled across one of the couches, eating neon sour gummy worms and scrolling on their phones.

“So what do you think of the candy man?” Taeyong leers, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively as a sour worm dangles from his mouth. Renjun and Jaemin pull faces at the obnoxious nickname respectively before Jaemin plops down in Renjun’s lap.

“Aish, you’re too big for this now,” Renjun complains, but he shifts his thighs until they're both comfortably situated. Jaemin slings an arm around Renjun’s neck and pushes his nose against the older’s cheek. Renjun pushes him away, loosely putting his arms around Jaemin’s waist so he doesn't fall.

The three of them sit like this, sharing candy and reading aloud things from their phones as customers bustle around them. Jaemin could finally relax; social situations often taxing and draining his energy. He squeezes Renjun a little tighter and breathes evenly, listening to his friends laugh.

It's a good day.

Jaemin isn't really a huge fan of Mark.

Not that he has anything _against_ Mark, and Taeyong seems to really like him. But Mark always declines Taeyong’s invitations to hang out, and Jaemin has seen firsthand how upset it makes his friend. Jaemin has also seen Mark roll his eyes at customers and he's constantly checking his watch when speaking like he has no time for them. As someone who always tries to be nice to customers, and has dealt with rude sales associates, Jaemin can't help the irritation that bubbles up inside of him.

Still, Taeyong is his best friend, and when Taeyong wants to go to SUGAR RUSH, Jaemin never complains. He mostly tries to avoid watching Mark interact with customers, sitting at the back with Taeyong when he's not working. Renjun tends to visit Kun, but Taeyong thinks Doyoung is hot and therefore Absolutely Cannot go into Holy Cannoli. Jaemin likes to stick with Taeyong because Taeyong gets lonely, sometimes. Renjun doesn't really get it, because Taeyong is friends with half the town, but Jaemin knows what it's like to be surrounded by people and still feel alone.

The problem is, though Jaemin insists it’s not really a problem because Taeyong is insecure about it, but his best friend is awful with time. He and Renjun have to remind him when his flights are or he’ll never catch them and see his parents. Jaemin has tried giving him the wrong time, telling him a time before they were actually going to meet, but Taeyong had shown up on time then, and had spent two hours in a restaurant while people watched him sympathetically.

So Jaemin has learned to accept the fact that Taeyong has almost no sense of time, and has gotten used to waiting for the older boy to show up. It's a little hard though, when he's in a shop with a guy he's not sure he likes, waiting for his best friend who could show up maybe half an hour late.

And Mark never _talks_ to him. Other than the first day they met, Mark never exchanges words with him past pleasantries and when he's ringing Jaemin up. Jaemin always feels awkward and he _hates_ it, hates feeling out of place and uncomfortable. Once he tried talking to the elder, but after a few monosyllabic replies, he felt like he was going to throw up. 

“He's just shy,” Taeyong says, when they leave the store and head over to the tattoo parlor for Jaemin’s shift. “Like, even worse than you. He's a grumpy guy, but he's really a softie deep down.”

“If you say so,” Jaemin replies, setting up his workstation with practiced ease. He's still unconvinced, but he doesn't want to say anything. Taeyong sings his praises, but he also mentions the way Mark teases him, and while it doesn't seem to bother him, it bothers Jaemin.

When Taeyong is in the bathroom, he mentions it to Renjun, who has just finished up a sleeve for a frequent customer. Renjun raises an eyebrow, but doesn't question it.

“I don't really know why you don't like him,” Renjun says. “I mean, I've never talked to him, but he seems nice.”

Jaemin squirms in his chair. He wasn't sure how to explain this. “He makes me uncomfortable.” 

Renjun's face softens. He says, “You know you don't have to go there just because Yong wants you to.”

Jaemin says, “Yeah, I know.”

But they both know he won't stop going.

“What happened to you?”

Jaemin is limping past the candy shop when he hears Mark’s voice. At first, he didn’t even realize he was being addressed, but when he turns around, Mark is staring straight at him, lips pressed in a thin line.

“I fell,” Jaemin lies, but really there had been a mean old lady who had rammed into him with her cart and he had gone sprawling, scraping a knee and both of his palms. “Sorry, I’ll be out of your way now.”

“Minho hasn’t opened the shop yet,” Mark tells him, still blank faced. 

“Oh,” Jaemin says dejectedly. He doesn’t want to be dramatic, but his hands are stinging and there’s blood running down his knee and he really, really wants to sit down. 

“I have a first-aid kit in the back,” Mark says, and it takes Jaemin a few seconds to realize that Mark isn’t just talking out of his ass — he’s offering to help. He leads Jaemin past all the candy aisles to the tiny backroom with only one couch and a counter with a coffee maker. The rest of the room was full of cabinets and drawers. 

“Stay here,” Mark instructs, pointing at the couch. Jaemin sits down obediently, and Mark heads over to the counter and pulls out a white plastic box from the drawer. “Put your leg up on the coffee table.”

“But—” Jaemin protests.

“It’s fine,” Mark says dismissively. “I’ll clean it after.”

Jaemin winces, but he lifts his leg up onto the table. It’s a good thing he wore shorts today, because it’s easy enough for Mark to use a wipe to clean up the wound, then place a flexible bandage over his knee to seal it up. He gestures to Jaemin’s hands, and Jaemin holds his palms out. Mark is oddly tender when he cleans Jaemin’s hands, his touch careful. It doesn’t match his rough exterior at all. 

“Thank you,” Jaemin says softly, standing up from the couch. “I’ll go now.”

Mark stands up and walks away to put the first aid kit back, and Jaemin stares at his back for a moment before shuffling out to the front of the store. He wants to turn around, maybe demand why Mark is so mean when he’s actually a nice person, but he’s too shy, so he just heads over to the tattoo parlor. Renjun is already there, and Minho is setting up his station.

“It’s not like you to be late,” Minho says, and Jaemin knows he isn’t in trouble but it still stings. He points to the bandage on his knee and holds up his palms.

“Sorry, I was next door getting patched up,” Jaemin says.

“Oh, dear. Well, you can man the reception desk for today, okay? Take it easy, kiddo.” Jaemin nods and heads behind the desk, plopping down in his chair. He checks over the appointments for the day, then opens the tattoo parlor’s social media to answer questions, reply to messages, and respond to comments. 

The day goes by in a blur, a shift full of taking calls, booking appointments, and greeting clients when they walk in. He hands out so many pamphlets that he has to go to the back and print more, then spends the last hour of his shift stapling them together. He has twenty minutes to go when none other than Mark from next door comes in.

“Hi, I have an appointment for 4:30,” Mark says. Jaemin eyes his blank face and wonders if he ever smiles. 

“Sure.” He clicks over to the right program and marks him down. “Minho’s just with another customer, if you don’t mind waiting over there?” 

Mark sits down, and Jaemin struggles internally on whether or not he should make small talk. 

“So, um, this is my first tattoo,” Mark says, and it takes Jaemin a moment to realize he’s being spoken to. He can feel his cheeks heating up in embarrassment, and he wants nothing more than to sink down in his seat. This is the _second_ time. “I’m a bit nervous.”

“Where are you getting it?” Jaemin asks.

“Forearm,” Mark says, tapping the bare skin below his sleeve. “I’m getting a bee.”

“Like a honey bee?”

“Yeah!” And Mark _beams_ at him. Jaemin is so taken aback that he’s stunned into silence. He didn’t even think Mark _could_ smile, much less smile like that. “My best friend Johnny is a beekeeper, and bees are really important. He’s taught me a lot.”

“That’s awesome,” Jaemin says enthusiastically. “Well, the good thing is that you’ve picked a good spot, so it’s not as painful. When I got my first tattoo, I was so scared, but it didn’t actually hurt as much as I thought it would. Although it helps to have someone hold your hand.”

“Will you, then?” Mark asks, and Jaemin blinks at him in confusion.

“Will I what?”

“Will you hold my hand?” Jaemin’s jaw drops, but before he can say anything, Minho is coming out with his current client, thus grabbing Mark’s attention. He scrambles for something to say, but Minho is already leading Mark to his booth. Groaning, Jaemin slumps against the desk.

“What’s wrong?” Renjun appears beside him, startling him badly enough that he bangs his knee on the underside of the desk. “Jesus, you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Jaemin groans, clutching at his throbbing joint. “And I’m pretty sure the candy guy is flirting with me.”

“What? The hot guy from SUGAR RUSH?” Renjun asks.

“Shh, he’s over there!” Jaemin hisses frantically, lunging to cover Renjun’s mouth. He immediately gags a second later when Renjun licks his palm, yanking his hand back with a disgusted expression. “Ew!”

“You started it,” Renjun says with a shrug. “Anyway, what’s the problem? Do you not find him attractive?”

“Of course I find him attractive,” Jaemin says woefully. “I just thought he didn’t like me. He barely speaks to me, you know! I go in his shop all the time with Yong and he barely says a word. He always looks like he has a stick up his ass.”

“You’re cute. Why wouldn’t he be into you?” Renjun asks, leaning against the desk. “Honestly, Jaem, I don’t see why you shouldn’t go for it! He’s hot, he’s into you, and he owns a _candy store._ You’ll probably get a discount or something.”

Jaemin rolls his eyes. “I wouldn’t date a guy for a discount! I’m not that cheap!”

“I am,” Renjun says nonchalantly. “Anyway, that’s not my point. The point is, if you think he’s cute too, what do you have to lose?”

“I dunno,” Jaemin replies. “I’ll think about it.”

Renjun smiles. “That’s all I ask. By the way, you know your shift ended thirteen minutes ago, right?”

“Shit.”

Jaemin’s sitting at Holy Cannoli, waiting for Kun to bring him his lunch, when Mark walks in through the doors. He gasps a little, then slaps his hand over his mouth and immediately averts his eyes to the window. From here, he can see Taeyong sitting outside of the tattoo parlour, eating lunch with Renjun. He watches them laugh and smiles a little because he loves them so much, and when he turns around, Kun and Mark are approaching his table. 

“Here you are, Jaemin! This is Mark, by the way, he supplies us with ingredients for our baked goods.”

“We’ve met,” Jaemin says faintly. Mark doesn’t say anything at all. “What’s up, Kun?”

“Mark came to visit for lunch but it’s kinda busy around here,” Kun says, waving to all the occupied tables. “Do you mind if he sits here?”

 _Yes._ “Of course not!” Jaemin hurriedly clears off his sketchbook and pencil case, shoving them into his bag as Kun places down their plates. 

“Sorry,” Mark says. Jaemin shakes his head, and earns himself a pat on the shoulder from Kun who leaves them to go serve more customers. “I can just wait until another table opens?”

“No, it’s okay, really,” Jaemin insists, picking up a fork and digging into the pasta that Kun had brought him. “So, uh. Come here often?”

Mark actually cracks a smile at that, and Jaemin can ignore his cheeks heating up in favor of staring at Mark’s mouth. “Pretty often. I think everyone on this street comes around for lunch.”

“Kun makes the _best_ food,” Jaemin says proudly. He’s watched Kun’s bakery grow from a few customers a day to one of the best places in town for food. It’s a hit with the tourists, and has gone viral on social media more times than he can count on one hand. But Kun always makes time for him, and that’s why Jaemin loves coming here despite how busy it is. 

“He really does,” Mark agrees, then turns his attention to his meal.

“How’s your tattoo healing?” Jaemin asks, unable to stand the silence anymore. His cheeks flush when he realizes that Mark has just taken a bite, and it’s awkward until Mark swallows his mouthful of food.

“Pretty good. I’ve been taking care of it like Minho instructed,” Mark says. Jaemin’s eyes drift to Mark’s arm, though he’s wearing baggy long sleeves today. 

“That’s good.” He has no idea what else to say, so he just focuses on finishing his food. The silence stretches on until both of them are done eating, and Jaemin is left twiddling his thumbs, trying hard not to make eye contact. 

Mark gets up to leave first, and Jaemin doesn’t look at him. He keeps his eyes glued to his phone and hopes that Mark doesn’t notice how sweaty he’s gotten, his nerves getting the best of him. Mark doesn’t say goodbye, and Jaemin finally looks up when he leaves.

His gaze catches on a small cellophane bag and a folded piece of paper left behind on the table. He debates grabbing it and chasing Mark down, but he spots his name on it written in a small, sloping scrawl.

Eyes wide, he picks up the paper and opens it to see a line of numbers. Specifically, a phone number. He picks up the cellophane bag next and realizes that it’s full of sweetheart candies. He dumps them out on a napkin and sorts though them. 

_Call me._

_Text me._

_U r cute._

_You and me._

_Be mine._

Renjun’s words echo in his ears, and this time he doesn’t hesitate. He picks up his phone, takes a picture of the heart that says ‘Be Mine’ and types in Mark’s number in the new message window. He adds the picture as an attachment and types out a one word caption before pressing send.

_Yes._

The summer is bright and beautiful. The sky is a deep blue and there’s not a cloud in sight. In a tourist town like this, everything is vibrant and bursting with life. In the winter, it will become a ghost town, but right now, it’s rife with colour and laughter. 

In a candy shop, there are two boys. One is Mark, and one is named Jaemin. They’re having lunch from their favourite bakery, _Holy Cannoli,_ and they’re arguing over the best colour of cotton candy. 

Mark will claim that he’s right, and that he’s literally the connoisseur of candy, and Jaemin will roll his eyes and argue for the sake of arguing but he doesn’t actually care about the colour. He’s just being obnoxious because he wants Mark to kiss him to shut him up.

By the time they’re done arguing, their friends have arrived, and Mark goes to switch the sign to ‘Closed’ as they all gather in the back with sweets and food courtesy of Mark and Kun. The whole gang's here — Renjun, Taeyong, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Minho, and even Mark’s beekeeper friend, Johnny. 

Jaemin makes a show out of proposing with a ring pop, and Mark rolls his eyes while Renjun boos, but he eventually puts the plastic on his ring finger just so Jaemin will stop yelling. Little does he know that Jaemin has a real ring hidden in his closet, waiting to be put on Mark’s hand. Today is to test the waters, and Jaemin likes what he sees. Taeyong gives him a knowing look from the other couch.

They’re a family, and Jaemin thinks he’ll never give this up. With the sound of everyone’s laughter and their rosy cheeks, and the sunlight streaming through the window, it’s picturesque.

Something out of a fairy tale.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!  
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/jaemarking)  
> [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/jaemarked)


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